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Monday, March 02, 2009

Samsung X360 ultraportable dips below $800 mark

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/02/samsung-x360-ultraportable-dips-below-800-mark/

Samsung's ultrathin X360 didn't quite get the love of some of its competition out of the gate, and has already been preempted by the X460, but the X360 has always had a lovable price tag on its side. Not like this, though. The originally $1900-ish laptop is now going for $750 after rebate on Amazon.com, and that includes 3GB of RAM and Vista Biz to boot. Sure, the 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo SU9300 and Intel integrated graphics never did anyone any favors, but at least this should shut up your non-productive Atom-powered bowling buddies. Or you could wait a month for every other ultraportable on earth to best this pricetag and netbook specs to catch up.

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung X360 ultraportable dips below $800 mark originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS slaps 1TB SSD within Lamborghini VX5 laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/02/asus-slaps-1tb-ssd-within-lamborghini-vx5-laptop/

We're just now wrapping our heads around that 1TB SSD that pureSilicon launched in January, and already ASUS is looking to place us back in a state of disbelief with its newfangled Lamborghini VX5 laptop. Said machine, which is slated to debut tomorrow alongside a litany of other products here in Hannover, will sport a 1TB SSD, a Core 2 Quad CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-inch "Full HD" display. You'll also find a GeForce GT 130M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR3 memory, an illuminated "chiclet" style keyboard and a Blu-ray optical drive to boot. Needless to say, this one's aimed at those not fazed by stratospheric price tags, and we're saying that well before the MSRP has been made public. Call it a hunch... or just superb deductive reasoning.

[Via Electricpig]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS slaps 1TB SSD within Lamborghini VX5 laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's hybrid NX Series camera: point-and-shoot with DSLR-like image sensor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/02/samsungs-hybrid-nx-series-camera-point-and-shoot-with-dslr-lik/

While we still prefer the Micro Four Thirds approach (we love lens selection, so sue us), Samsung's conceptual NX Series is still looking pretty boss for those needing a true (or close to true) point-and-shoot frame. Announced here at PMA, this new "hybrid" camera maintains the slim stature of a standard pocket cam, yet includes an APS-C sized image sensor that is traditionally found on DSLRs. In layman's terms, that means this camera will boast a larger surface area "to gather light and produce higher-quality images than comparable digital camera systems." In order to keep things thin, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) replaces the DSLR mirror box, but details beyond that are scant. The good news, however, is that Sammy plans to commercialize the NX line and have 'em shipping by the second half of this year. Is the P&S-DSLR gap finally being bridged? Guess we'll find out (not so) soon enough; per usual, the full release is just after the break.

Gallery: Samsung's hybrid NX Series camera: point-and-shoot with DSLR-like image sensor

Continue reading Samsung's hybrid NX Series camera: point-and-shoot with DSLR-like image sensor

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung's hybrid NX Series camera: point-and-shoot with DSLR-like image sensor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Updates to attachments: multi-select and progress bars

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/gf4ovsXNh38/updates-to-attachments-multi-select-and.html

Up until today, it's been a little tedious to send large or multiple attachments with an email. You had to select each attachment individually and you never knew how long it would be before those bigger files were ready to send.

Today, we're making some changes to the way Gmail attachments work. If you want to send a few files from the same folder, simply hold down the Ctrl key (Cmd on OS X) and click on each file you want to attach to your message. You can also hold down the Shift key to select a continuous list of files. A definite time saver.

You'll not only save a few mouse clicks selecting files, but you'll also see progress bars on each file as it uploads.

Posted by Wes Carr, Software Engineer

System 7 Kind Of, Sort Of Running On An iPhone [Emulation]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fGkH4PN8KAY/system-7-kind-of-sort-of-running-on-an-iphone

What does the inexplicable internet subculture of people who put old software onto new, inappropriate hardware have for us this week? System 7 on an iPhone, obviously.

The MacOS iPhone project has finally managed to "port" the OS to the phone, albeit a version that first came out in 1991. I say "port" because the OS is running through QEMU emulation software, and can be launched directly from the iPhone's springboard. Basically, it's a System 7 app, which is pretty cool.

There's no text input system yet, but the OS recognizes touch just fine. You can play with MacPaint, so hurray, I guess. As silly as this all may seem, it at least has a little more conceptual continuity that the Windows 3.1 on an N95 project, which also depended on QEMU, the technology that is really the star of both stories: QEMU running on the iPhone opens the door to all kinds of emulation, not just fun nostalgia projects. If fun nostalgia projects are your thing, there are plenty of photos of System 7 in action at the project page. [OSNews via Electronic Pulp via BBGadgets]

ASUS to showcase Marine Cool concept motherboard at CeBIT

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/02/asus-to-showcase-marine-cool-concept-motherboard-at-cebit/

Check it, OC'ing freaks -- ASUS is apparently planning to debut a new concept motherboard at CeBIT, the aptly titled Marine Cool. The high-end mobo is said to be "unlike any other motherboard on the market," with the all new backplate being the showstopping feature. It's said that the backplate features a "micro-porous ceramic" technology, which delivers quicker heat dissipation than existing alternatives. If you're still scratching your head in a seemingly futile attempt to figure out why this matters, the new cooling tech should allow for components to handle even more extreme overclocking without having to hook up some sort of liquid nitrogen rig. One curious aspect was the decision to include dual SO-DIMM slots in place of traditional desktop-grade DIMM slots, though we don't suspect that'll be a deal breaker for those willing to accept sacrifices for maximum cooling. As is always the case with ASUS, there's no indication of a price or eventual commercialization date, but hopefully we'll get more from the show floor in Hannover.

[Via HotHardware, thanks JC]

Gallery: ASUS to showcase Marine Cool concept motherboard at CeBIT

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

ASUS to showcase Marine Cool concept motherboard at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, March 01, 2009

Floorplanner Presents Your Plans in 3D [Web Apps]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/plljSOfqNhQ/floorplanner-presents-your-plans-in-3d

Looking to re-arrange the stuff of your house or plan a dream room? Floorplanner is a web-based tool for planning rooms and furniture layouts using a simple but powerful editor.

We originally reviewed Floorplanner in 2007, but since then they've introduced some helpful new features. We originally dug it because of the easy drag-and-drop interface and the extensive library of furniture, fixtures, plants and more are still there. One of the principle reader complaints back then was the lack of 3D planning, but you can now plan in both 2D and 3D, switching between the views for a long view of proportion and layout. The free demo on their site doesn't allow you to save, but does give you a feel for the tools and layout—though you might be tempted to sign up, after a little Sims-style rearrangement. Or, you know, they put that PrtSc key on up there on your keyboard for a reason.

Floorplanner has a free and premium tier; the limitation on the free plan is one house or apartment floor plan. If you upgrade to Floorplanner PLUS for $27.50 a year, you can create up to five home plans.

Floor Planner [via GeekSugar]

Build Your Own SATA Switch [Hardware]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/1rnSez9T85o/build-your-own-sata-switch

If you'd like to keep your operating systems and disks completely separate without having to keep cracking open your case, creating your own hard drive switch might work for you.

Computer building and modification site Extreme Tech has a tutorial on making a basic selector switch for the power cables of your SATA drives. Why would you want to do this? By selectively offering power to only one of the drives you have hooked up, you recreate the effect of completely swapping out the hard drive. Instead of multiple partitions and boot loader applications, the computer just boots to whichever drive is powered as though it were the only drive with an operating system in the computer. If you want to or need to maintain completely independent disks, the simple switch makes it hassle free. Other than sacrificing a couple power cables to the knife and doing a little basic soldering, there isn't anything fancy involved in the project.

Intrigued by the idea but not so hot with a soldering iron? The author of the tutorial sells a three-drive switch for $32. Alternately, and in a similar price range, you could pick up a single bay tray-less SATA rack that would let you pop hard drives in and out like cassettes—but you would lose the safety factor of keeping them all mounted safely in the case at all times. If you have your own solution for keeping operating systems and disks separate, tell us how in the comments below.

The SATA Switch [via Extreme Tech]

Best Home Server Software [Hive Five]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/kjgFHiKO2e8/best-home-server-software

Media files, data synchronization, and remote backups, oh my! Home computing has advanced to a point where it's practical to run your own home server, and we're running down the five best tools for the job.

Photo by Rudolf Schuba.

Earlier this week we asked you to tell us what software you used to power your home servers and add that extra kick of convenience and power to your home networks. After tallying up the votes we're back to share the top five contenders for the home server championship belt. The following server implementations cover a broad spectrum of solutions ranging from install-it-and-forget-it to tinker-your-way-to-perfection and everything in between.

FreeNas

FreeNAS is by the far the most bare bones home server software in the top five. More specifically, FreeNAS is an extremely minimal distribution of FreeBSD. How minimal, you ask? You can run FreeNAS off a 32MB flash drive. Designed to be an absolutely skeletal operating system to maximize the resources devoted to storage FreeNAS is great for when you want a simple operating system that leaves every hard drive bay and disk platter wide open for file storage goodness. Despite being so slim, FreeNAS is still feature packed, including support for BitTorrent and remote web-based file management via QuiXplorer; it even serves as the perfect iTunes music server. You can boo FreeNAS off nearly any media: hard drives, optical discs, floppy disks, and flash-based media. It has support for b! oth hard ware and software based RAID, disk encryption, and management of groups and users via local authentication or Microsoft Domains. Even an old dusty Pentium III can become a headless file-serving powerhouse with the addition of a basic $20 SATA PCI card to pack it full of modern hard drives, thanks to FreeNAS's scant 96MB of RAM requirements.

Ubuntu Server Edition

Ubuntu Server Edition shares the ease of use that has catapulted its desktop-edition sibling to popularity. The automated LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) installation makes installing the core components of a robust server a walk in the park compared to manually configuring each component on your own. While configuring Ubuntu isn't going to be as easy as grabbing a pre-configured Windows Home Server off the shelf at your local Best Buy and plugging it in, there are a wealth of applications to help you integrate your Linux based home server with the rest of your network. It won't be as straight forward as using Windows Home Server or a Time Machine backup, but Ubuntu is more than powerful and capable enough to handle all your media streaming, remote back up, and file serving needs. We've covered using Ubuntu as the basis for a home media server before, so if you're considering trying it out check out how to build a Linux media server and build yourself an affordable media server to get an idea of what you're in for.

Apache is the only entry in the top five that isn't a completely stand alone server package. Apache is, however, open source and cross platform; it support a dozen operating systems; and it's the backbone of many of your fellow readers' home server operations. Because of its widespread adoption and extreme compatibility with a variety of platforms, we're including it here. No matter what operating system you throw on your home server, you're almost guaranteed that you can run Apache on it. Nearly four years ago we covered how to set up a personal web server using Apache, and it's still relevant and worth a look for getting an idea what the setup entails. While you're at it, you may also want to try setting up a home Subversion server with your Apache installation for keeping track of file revisions.

Debian

Why use Debian for a home server? There are over twenty five thousands software packages available for Debian, and the operating system supports 12 unique hardware architectures. There's a a slim-to-none chance you've got a computer that can't run it. Like Ubtuntu—a Debian derivative by the way—you can configure this flexible operating system to do nearly anything you can imagine, from serving media and remote backups to running your own web server ! with a w iki and running your own mail server. Like other Linux distributions, Debian can be used to run a low-power and headless server when run without a GUI and using remote administration. Along with FreeNAS, Debian is a prime candidate for turning an aging computer into a quiet, tucked-in-the-basement server.

Windows Home Server

If your home is filled with Windows-based computers—which the average American home certainly is—it's tough to go wrong with Windows Home Server. It isn't free, and until recently you couldn't even buy it separately from the home servers sold by Hewlett Packard and others—but even though it has the distinction of being both the only commercial and closed-source software package on the list, that doesn't mean you should dismiss it out of hand. Windows Home Server stands definitively as the most Average Joe-friendly server implementation on the list. Not only is it the only server package you can buy pre-configured and installed in a ready to go off-the-shelf server, but Microsoft has gone out of their way to make the experience of using Windows Home Server as transparent and painless as possible for the end user. In fact, many Lifehacker readers expressed the "It just works" sentiment when logging a vote for Windows Home Server. Once you have all your computers connected to your Windows Home Server, you'll have a centralized backup location that supports up to 10 remote PCs and indexed remote file storage. Printers are shared and there is easy to use remote server access to log into your archives from anywhere in the world. Files are no longer lost in a mass of drives, add a few terabyte drives to a Win! dows Hom e Server and you'll never wonder if that movie file is on the F, G, or H drive again. Windows Home Server spans drives using Drive Extender so that files are located in a single folder namespace, sans drive divisions. The most recent update of Windows Home Server even adds an option to backup the server itself to external drives for extra data redundancy. Since the Microsoft site for Windows Home Server is heavy on promotion but low on actual screenshots, check out our screenshot tour for more.

Now that you've seen the contestants vying for the title of best home server, it's time to log your votes to see who will go home with the belt—and the task of storing your mountains of media files and remote backups.

Which Home Server Software is Best?
( polls)

If you have tips or tricks for running a home server, sound off in the comments below. Many readers will be considering running a home server for the first time after reading over the top contenders above, so your experience (and accolades) could help them find a home server package that works for them.

$200 Acer Hornet Is Nvidia Ion-Based PC-Wii-Console Hybrid Thingie [Nettop]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/k1EgsUvd3y4/200-acer-hornet-is-nvidia-ion+based-pc+wii+console-hybrid-thingie

Apparently, the Acer Hornet is an Nvidia Ion-based Atom-powered small PC which can be mounted on displays. The most interesting thing: Acer wants to sell it with a Wiimote-like device for gaming and remote control.

Or that's what turkish site Donanim Haber says, posting some images of the computer, which can be mounted on the back of any VESA-compatible display.

According to the Inquirer, sources close to "one of the firms" have confirmed that it will launch at the beginning of April, with three to four models ranging from a mere $199 to $399. The Inquirer's source says it will be a "Full PC with a Wii-like size" with HDMI output. [Donanim Haber via The Inquirer]

$25 billion in electric vehicle loans still waiting for perfect beggars

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/28/25-billion-in-electric-vehicle-loans-still-waiting-for-perfect/

While the Big 3 seem to be visiting Washington on an all-too-regular basis trying to secure funding for future success, $25 billion in loans set aside to promote electric car usage in America has been sitting untouched for nearly two years. As the story goes, the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan program was established in 2007, but administrations have been toying with ideas about how to use it until present day. Some 75 applications from hopeful companies have been whittled down to 25, but there's no telling how long it'll be before we hear who's getting the cash (and when). Many are irate that this dough is still sitting idle, but we tend to agree with the "let's wait until we find truly remarkably beggars" approach before it's just handed out to those without a viable plan. The takeaway? Electric vehicles may still end up progressing as planned despite the current economy, but only if brilliant plans can cut through miles of red tape.

Filed under: Transportation

$25 billion in electric vehicle loans still waiting for perfect beggars originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD looking to ship 32nm chips in 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/28/amd-looking-to-ship-32nm-chips-in-2010/

Or, you know, maybe the headline should read: "AMD looking to ship 32nm chips behind Intel. Rather than staying one step ahead of its fiercest rival, it sounds like Advanced Micro Devices is perfectly content with being a few months behind. Based on words from CEO Dirk Meyer, the company is hoping to "ramp up" production of 32 nanometer processors -- which Intel has already demonstrated -- in the middle of next year, with volume production hopefully starting in Q4. Of course, these chips will be among the first not actually built by AMD; instead, they'll be fabricated by the newly spun Foundry Company, so we suppose the lag is little easier to understand. Oh, and there's also the fact that "AMD isn't in a race with Intel on all technologies," though the business bone inside of us thinks it should be.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

AMD looking to ship 32nm chips in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cooler Master's 5-CPU monstrosity has your craptop cowering in a corner

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/28/cooler-masters-5-cpu-monstrosity-has-your-craptop-cowering-in-a/

Yeah, your PC sucks. That video card you "borrowed" from your brother two years ago makes an exasperated sigh every time you fire up The Sims 2, and you're pretty sure your power supply is one Cheeto crumb away from giving up the ghost. Not this thing, however. Cooler Master has built an utterly ridiculous setup, with five separate quad-core computers running simultaneously under one roof, off of one power supply. The whole thing, which Cooler Master dubbs the 53GHz, is basically a showcase for various Cooler Master components, and will be displayed at CeBIT in Germany next week. Personal grid computing here we come? Video is after the break.

[Via Make]

Continue reading Cooler Master's 5-CPU monstrosity has your craptop cowering in a corner

Filed under: Desktops

Cooler Master's 5-CPU monstrosity has your craptop cowering in a corner originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Self-assembling nanoscale discovery could catapult data storage capacity

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/01/self-assembling-nanoscale-discovery-could-catapult-data-storage/

Ready to have your mind blown? What if 250 DVDs could fit onto a storage module no larger than a quarter? According to research conducted by brilliant geeks at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it's all within the realm of feasibility. Reportedly, an easily implemented technique "in which nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces" could soon blow open the doors to significant improvements in data storage capacity. Without getting too Ph.D on you, the process essentially works by taking advantage of just how precise molecules can self-assemble. The end result has researchers achieving "defect-free arrays of nanoscopic elements with feature sizes as small as 3 nanometers, translating into densities of 10 terabits per square inch." Per square inch, son.

[Via TheStandard, thanks Apoc]

Filed under: Storage

Self-assembling nanoscale discovery could catapult data storage capacity originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM ThamesBlue supercomputer uncovers antediluvian English words

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/01/ibm-thamesblue-supercomputer-uncovers-antediluvian-english-words/

Granted, we could personally think of much more amazing ways to put supercomputers to work, but maybe there is some sort of benefit to humanity by knowing precisely what our ancestors' first words were. All that aside, the IBM ThamesBlue supercomputer has been tapped by language masters at the University of Reading in order to find that 'I,' 'we,' 'who' and the numbers '1,' '2' and '3' are amongst the most ancient across all Indo-European languages. Comically enough, it was also found that words like 'squeeze,' 'guts,' 'stick,' 'throw' and 'dirty' were also markedly archaic, which sure says a lot about how men in particular, um, don't evolve. At any rate, these new computational powers have reportedly opened up another 25,000 years or so of language study, so we suspect the folks on this project will be occupied for some time to come.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

IBM ThamesBlue supercomputer uncovers antediluvian English words originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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